Tag Archives: AJ Styles

We love flags.

Usually, members of the site @JoeyOnEarth, @TimWelcomed, @TomBlargh and @OrinAnne would share their thoughts on what to expect from tonight’s show. In the spirit of democracy though, this time we’re putting it in the hands of some of the fantastic members of the WWE Universe, who are sure to have some fascinating insights!

The Usos vs. New Day for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship

Joey:

New Day returning and The Usos being great heels each helped the Smackdown tag division finally get back on track. The likely American Alpha vs. Fashion Police secondary feud should be good as well. I don’t think WWE can take the titles off The Usos just yet. They are finally clicking as heels. I do think New Day wins the belts by Summerslam, but MITB will be Day One Is H.

Interest Level: 7/10Prediction: Usos win.

Tim:

I love WWE right now. It’s running on all cylinders like a finely tuned car. When it comes to The Usos what more can be said about them? They’re the best in the world hands down. The New Day have returned and are also the best in the world too. What happens when these two teams clash will undoubtedly result in a match talked about for decades to come. Needless to say, I am ecstatic about this one.

Interest Level: 10/10Prediction: The New Day wins.

Tom:

The Smackdown tag division has stood out to me for the past month or two because it was probably the one part of the show post-brand split that never quite caught on. I think The Usos are very good in their current roles and The New Day going away for a little while was definitely the right move, as it feels nice to see them back again.

HOWEVER, my main concern is that The Fashion Police are not involved in this match, and I very badly need for them to stay as a prominent part of the tag scene. I will never get tired of their antics and I will always love them. Feel free to screenshot this if you think you’ll ever be able to use it against me because guess what: not gonna happen.

Interest Level: 7/10Prediction: The Usos win and I will love Breezango 4-ever.

Orin:

I’m a big fan of The Usos as disgruntled men in streetwear who may run a prison. Jimmy and Jey have been placed in charge of something called the Uso Penitentiary––some kind of correctional institution that they’re constantly inviting the New Day to visit. They love their new jobs as angry prison guards! Both teams will deliver some sassy one-liners and sick burns and The Usos will retain. Back to jail for you, New Day.

Jinder Mahal is main eventing this show

Tye Dillinger vs. Aiden English on the kick-off

Joey:

I like Aiden English a lot and would like to see him get a genuine push. Tye Dillinger already seems like “just a guy” at this point. Aside from liking the number 10, there is not too much to him as a character. I think this match will just be a basic pre-show bout to get the fans loud with the TEN chants.

Interest Level: 4/10Prediction: Tye Dillinger wins.

Tim:

I enjoy the Aiden English character and I hope they continue on with it. Tye Dillinger is pretty one note as a character so hopefully they flesh him out more soon. I don’t really have any feelings towards this match and that is a big problem with a lot of main roster stuff right now.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: Tye Dillinger wins.

Tom:

I like these guys, though I worry for both of them. Dillinger is in danger of slipping into the “nice young man with almost zero discernible personality traits” role that Apollo Crews had on Smackdown for about a year, whereas Aiden English has a weird gimmick that I love but seems like it might keep him off the card more often than not. I want them both to do well! Anyway, this should be a neat little thing. It’s interesting to see English get used to being a singles guy again.

Interest Level: 7/10Prediction: Tye Dillinger wins.

Luke Harper vs. Erick Rowan

Joey:

I legitimately forgot Luke Harper was still on Smackdown and he was probably my favorite thing on the show just a few months ago. Erick Rowan usually does nothing for me, but I am fond of his new bit popping balloons and laughing. Maybe we’ll see some balloons here? I want Luke to win here obviously. I just don’t see it happening. My prediction is Vince saw the Rowan balloon segment and loved it.

Interest Level: 6/10Prediction: Erick Rowan wins.

Tim:

Here’s a match with a story behind it! Unfortunately, I feel like it ran its course forever ago and that Luke Harper should be on to grander things. They have yet to make me feel anything about Erick Rowan. I don’t have high hopes for the actual match either. I bet Harper even loses here!

Interest Level: 1/10Prediction: Erick Rowan wins.

Tom:

Poor Luke Harper, he just can’t get out of the Wyatts hole he’s stuck in. I always hope he’ll be allowed to move onto bigger and better things because he’s a unique performer and deserves to be showcased in more high profile matches, but he’s in a weird spot right now. I’d love to see him have a decent feud with the likes of Zayn, Owens or Nakamura, so hopefully this is a stepping stone to that.

Interest Level: 5/10Prediction: Luke Harper wins.

The Usos vs. Breezango for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship

Joey:

Hot take: I don’t care much for Breezango.

Common take: The Usos are good as heels.

I don’t really have any thoughts on this match aside from realizing just how weak the Smackdown tag division is until New Day arrives.

Interest Level: 3/10Prediction: The Usos win.

Tim:

The Fashion Police are a decently funny time by WWE’s standards but it’s not something that will keep my attention for long. They only stand out because the bar for humor on WWE TV is so low. I think Breeze can show signs of being a talented wrestler. The Usos heel turn made them interesting again for a little bit but I’m back to not caring about them. The tag division is in a real bad state but might as well put it on Breezango so them and The New Day can do some wacky LOL-worthy jokes when they come back and go for the titles.

Interest Level: 2/10Prediction: Breezango win.

Tom:

YES. OKAY. LET’S DO THIS. I love The Fashion Police and I’ve enjoyed The Usos enormously since their heel turn. I’m very excited for this match as I think Fandango and Breeze are both very underrated as actual wrestlers who wrestle, in addition to being great characters, so I think it could be a lot of fun!

Well, I don’t know what we did to deserve this but I guess I’ll make it through the punishment. I forget Hawkins is on the roster constantly which is probably for the best. This being on the card at all shows how lackluster the Smackdown roster really is.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: Mojo Rawley wins but we lose.

Tom:

I thought they were a tag team!

Interest Level: 1/10Prediction: Mojo Rawley wins.

Randy Orton vs. Luke Harper

Joey:

Great addition to the card. Randy Orton is the one of the lamest human beings in wrestling, but he has decent enough matches. Luke Harper is awesome. Given the lack of depth on this card, these two could steal the show.

Interest Level: 7/10Prediction: Randy Orton wins.

Tim:

This is far more exciting to me than Orton vs Wyatt. Orton can have good matches when he’s in the ring with the right opponent and it just so happens that Luke Harper is great. I am loving that he’s finally getting a little more focus because he’s the most talented of the whole Wyatt Family and Smackdown’s roster could really use him breaking out. He’s just a roadblock for Orton here but I’m sure he’ll come out of this match looking better than ever.

Interest Level: 6/10Prediction: “The Viper” Randy Orton wins.

Tom:

This could be a neat little match – I like Harper a lot though I’m not sure exactly what the future holds for him. I assume he’ll be back to being Bray’s sweaty boyfriend in time for him to feud with Orton, but it will be interesting to see how he’ll do in a fairly high-profile match.

Interest Level: 7/10Prediction: Randy Orton wins.

Apollo Crews and Kalisto vs. Dolph Ziggler

Joey:

What a mess. Apollo Crews and Kalisto deserve better. If they throw Dolph Ziggler off the stage, these two could be the next top stars for Smackdown. Hopefully WWE doesn’t blow this opportunity.

Interest Level: 1/10Prediction: Apollo Crews and Kalisto win.

Tim:

We all know what needs to happen here but I’ll say it anyway. Dolph Ziggler needs to lose a handicapped match to these two great talents. If there’s one person I want to see not overcome the odds it’s Ziggler. I think it is going to happen. If we all believe this will be the outcome we can will it into existence.

What? It’s a handicap match? What is going on in Smackdown? I haven’t really been paying attention lately and this match’s existence makes me think that’s probably for the best. Anyway, not sure why this is happening, seems like a bad idea.

Don’t go chasing waterfalls.

Kalisto vs. Baron Corbin in a Chairs Match

Joey:

I like Kalisto. I like Baron Corbin. I don’t care about this match. The booking here seems lazy. Both guys deserve something more noteworthy. I think they can pull off a decent match, but chairs matches usually stink.

Interest Level: 5/10Prediction: Baron Corbin wins.

Tim:

Kalisto is enjoyable but I think I like the idea of Baron Corbin more than the guy himself. Also, who gives a damn about a chair? I hate how they feel like they have to throw that in. This is just them spinning their wheels and I have no attachment to it. I assume Baron Corbin will win because they seem way more focused on him than Kalisto. There’s some deep analysis for you.

Interest Level: 2/10Prediction: Baron Corbin wins.

Tom:

I actually think the build to this has been really pretty good – Corbs has been a prick and Kalisto has been solid at being rightfully furious about it. Chairs matches are kind of lame, but maybe The Big Breakfast will utilize that big chair Big Show once used? Remember that? I think I talk about that whenever there’s a chairs match to discuss. Anyway, these two could be a decent match, but neither one has really had a stand-out performance in WWE yet.

Interest Level: 6/10Prediction: Kalisto wins.

Nikki Bella vs. Carmella in a Street Fight

Joey:

Nikki Bella vs. Carmella has actually been one of the best feuds of the year for WWE. The street fight feels like the right stipulation for this feud. Carmella telling off fans chanting “how you doing?” at her made her a new favorite of mine. I think Nikki is getting the win. Carmella is still the real winner for not having to be around Enzo Amore anymore.

Interest Level: 8/10Prediction: Nikki Bella wins.

Tim:

I’m really into this feud. I have never doubted it or gotten bored by it since the moment it started up which is rare for anything with WWE writing behind it. Carmella keeps getting better every week. I’m glad they made this a street fight. This is wild but I am going with Carmella getting a big win here.

Interest Level: 8/10Prediction: Carmella wins.

Tom:

I agree that the rivalry between these two has been F-A-B-O-L-O-U-S *winks at camera*, but I’m not expecting much from the match. I think Carmella is the weakest of the Smackdown women in terms of in-ring ability, so even though I’m expecting good moments, I don’t think it’ll be much to write home about.

Not the N64 game.

Jack Swagger vs. Baron Corbin on the kickoff show

Joey:

Jack Swagger getting a push is the worst thing currently going on in WWE. Who in WWE likes this guy enough to keep him giving him opportunities? I will be skipping the kickoff show. Apologies to Big Breakfast.

For all the talk of how good Smackdown has been at making new stars, they’ve fucked up big time with Corbin.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: Baron Corbin wins.

Tim:

Baron Corbin has all of the potential to be a fun character so you would think Smackdown would be the place for him but here we are doing this. Hopefully he runs through Swagger and moves forward while Swagger disappears again. I will watch this in my wooden chair three feet away from my television with a glass of warm water as I am the last true wrestling critic and can not let myself be distracted during any grappling but I can’t say I am intrigued by this at all.

Swagger even being on a pre-show match is genuinely kind of outrageous, isn’t it? Poor old Baron Corbin.

Interest Level: 3/10Prediction: Breakfast wins the big one.

Curt Hawkins vs. TBD

Joey:

I take it back. Curt Hawkins is the worst thing in WWE.

I will change my mind and consider this genius if Hawkins becomes a jobber that spews his “facts” before taking a loss every match.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: Curt Hawkins wins.

Tim:

I haven’t disliked anything quite as much as I’ve disliked Curt Hawkins and his hype videos. I’m not sure who thought any of it was a good idea but I’m here to inform them that it was not. In fact, they were bad. These are bold words but I will stand behind them forever. Let me say that Curt Hawkins just isn’t very good. I would not have wasted my time bringing him back but it’s WWE/s choice and I have to deal with it. Anyway, let’s watch him get squashed by someone like Kane immediately and get it over with already.

I assume he’s fighting Kane, right? And Kane chokeslams him off the stage and we all have a good laugh? A part of me wants to give Curt Hawkins a chance but a much larger part of me wants him to go away.

Ladders and dream matches.

The Lucha Dragons vs. The Dudley Boyz on the kick off show

The Golden Truth vs. Breezedango on the kick off show

Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler

Joey:

These two have the most boring matches and it’s still going on for some reason. Dolph Ziggler is the most aggressively uninteresting personality in the business today. Baron Corbin is extremely lucky the brand split is coming or he would be in trouble. I’d love to not meet anyone out there in the world excited to watch this one.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: Ron Swanson’s favorite wrestler wins.

Tim:

Are we on the third month of this now? Is that it? It feels like it’s been going on for years. “The Big Breakfast” Baron Corbin had a promising main roster debut at Wrestlemania by winning the prestigious Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Okay, maybe that wasn’t a huge deal but it showed that maybe they wanted to get behind him immediately. Instead they throw him to the black hole of irrelevance known as Dolph Ziggler and decide to not let it ever end. Get this over with please!

FUCKING ZIGGLER MAN. Hopefully Breakfast kicks his ballbag literally off and yells “YOU GOT SWERVED… BITCH” so we can put this to rest while also kicking off a fantastic new season of the WWE Network’s hit hidden camera show.

Interest Level: 2/10Prediction: Corbs finally escapes the Ziggler black hole to do something interesting on the main roster.

Sheamus vs. Apollo Crews

Joey:

I am looking forward to this!!! God bless the good people that make Breaking Ground and the not so great people that make Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies. Apollo Crews may be my favorite person featured on Breaking Ground and I love watching him wrestle. Sheamus has a dull presence but he’s always pretty good in the ring. I think this is the best spot for him on the card but how about WWE keeping him off TV and making him work the dark match during the weekend of his #1 hit movie appearance?

The match WILL deliver. I will be pleasantly surprised if Apollo gets the win but I think Sheamus is the victor here.

Interest Level: 9/10Prediction: Sheamus wins.

Tim:

This match should be fine, I guess. It seems like Crews got thrown on to the main roster without much of a plan so this is way better than him fading to the background. He needs a good showing because that unfortunate Jericho match still comes to mind when I think of him post-NXT and I know he’s better than that. Sheamus is a good hand when it comes to ring work so this should do the trick. I figure Sheamus will win but hopefully they can get Crews a big win sometime soon.

Interest Level: 5/10Prediction: Sheamus wins.

Tom:

Weird. So weird. I feel very bad for old Crewsy, his main roster debut felt rushed and it hasn’t really done him any favours. That one match with Jericho was absolutely hideous and even though a feud with WWE’s newest crossover star Sheamus has some potential, it still feels like an uphill battle.

Speaking of Sheamus, he was fairly excellent in that new Turtles film, and by “excellent”, I don’t mean he was good at acting or anything like that but it was always fun and surreal to see him onscreen and sometimes that’s enough.

“Don’t compare Extreme Rules to ECW.” – Tazz (2016)

Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler in a No DQ Match on the kickoff show

Joey:

Poor Breakfast. There is basically no chemistry between these two and they have yet to have a noteworthy match. Hopefully the No DQ stipulation helps add to it and Corbin gets the final win in their series. I don’t have much hope for it being anything special and they will not be able to live up to last month’s legendary Ryback vs. Kalisto kickoff match.

Interest Level: 4/10Prediction: Baron Corbin wins.

Tim:

This feud has been really forgettable so Corbin has that going for him at least. In a couple of months no one will remember any of this. Corbin definitely needs the win. He needs to work with someone better than Ziggler to get going. He can look good in the right scenarios. Lets just get it over with. I think I just decided to fix me an adult beverage for this show.

Interest Level: 0/10Prediction: “Big Breakfast” Baron Corbin wins.

Tom:

Fucking Ziggler, the debut killer. Just let him get squashed by Breakfast so we can move on with our lives!

Interest Level: 2/10Prediction: “The Big Breakfast” gets the big win.

The Usos vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows in a Tornado Tag Match

Joey:

The hatred towards Roman Reigns has carried over to the Usos and it’s wonderful. This ensures fans will actually care about their tag matches now and I think this could be a sleeper good match. It will likely open the show to set the tone for the main event. I haven’t enjoyed their tag matches on television much but it was always meant to culminate in a big AJ Styles/Reigns brawl. This time should see a real winner and a legitimate match.

Interest Level: 7/10Prediction: Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows win.

Tim:

When I was little I used to want every tag match to be a tornado tag. I’m pretty excited to see one here. This is a tag match with an actual story and two teams that can be entertaining. The Clubb (I think it needs two b’s so I will spell it with two b’s) should get the win here. This has everything it needs to be a match of the night contender but I have a feeling things might fall apart. Hopefully I’m wrong! Either way I am very interested in this match.

Man, I’m pretty into tornado tags (or at least I was in WWF No Mercy for the N64), so this is something I can get behind. Gallows and Anderson have had a bit of a strange debut so far, right? They’ve added an interesting edge to the AJ and Roman feud but it’s hard to consider them as a separate entity that has matches which don’t involve AJ. Anyway, I think this could be a pretty decent time.

Not the Mel Gibson movie.

Kalisto vs. Ryback for the United States Championship on the kickoff show

Joey:

The WrestleMania pre-show match between these two was good but the lack of a crowd hurt it. I think WWE is intentionally putting Ryback on every pre-show for the rest of the year after he made public comments threatening retirement if it doesn’t change. The match should be good but it’s not anything worth going out of your way to get the show on early.

Interest Level: 6/10Prediction: Kalisto wins.

Tim:

Oh! Sorry, I was reminiscing about that time John Cena made the United States Championship feel important. I’m not the biggest Ryback fan but I do think he has potential to be an entertaining character. Kalisto can be hit or miss but he’s mostly fun to watch. They’re just not being booked to be cared for. Ryback is already hard to care for as it is so them relegating these two to this feud that barely exists sucks. It sucks that WWE creative sucks but what can we do?

Interest Level: 4/10Prediction: Kalisto wins

Tom:

Last month, I was onboard with Joey as far as giving this a chance. Now though? Naw. Naw son. I don’t dislike either guy but I have zero interest in seeing them wrestle again, unless it’s in some kind of match with all sorts of mad stipulations.

Interest Level: 2/10Prediction: Kalisto wins.

Dolph Ziggler vs. “The Big Breakfast” Baron Corbin

Joey:

WWE has a tendency to go with “Even Stevens bullshit booking” in the words of Brad Ward so I am terrified of Dolph Ziggler winning here to ruin Baron Corbin’s momentum. Ziggler doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things so they can’t possibly screw over Corbin. The chemistry between these two doesn’t appear to exist and I’m not excited at all for the actual match unless Big Banter lives up to his name.

Interest Level: 4/10Prediction: Baron Corbin wins.

Tim:

Ziggler’s ridiculous selling will make Baron Corbin look good but I see Ziggler coming out on the winning end this time and then a rematch happening next month where Corbin gets the win. I can’t say I am excited about any of this. There’s stuff I like about “The Big Breakfast” Baron Corbin but his wrestling isn’t really apart of that. His finisher is good! Ziggler could retire to The Comedy Toilet tomorrow and I wouldn’t mind.

Interest Level: 2/10Prediction: Dolph Ziggler wins

Tom:

Ziggler has seemed to be the go-to guy as far as making an NXT guy’s debut as underwhelming as possible (big shout out to my main man Tyler Breeze), so hopefully this is the first and last PPV match between these two. I really hope this isn’t much more than a squash, I don’t enjoy most longer Ziggler matches and I want to see Breakfast become more established on the main roster.